‘The Flash’: Robert Zemeckis, Matthew Vaughn Vying for Directing Job

Warner Bros. is getting closer to naming a director for its adaptation of “The Flash.”

While an offer hasn’t been delivered yet, sources tell Variety that Matthew Vaughn and Robert Zemeckis are the studio’s top choices to direct the superhero tentpole.

WB declined to comment on the news.

Although insiders stress that others are still in the mix, sources close to the situation say Zemeckis and Vaughn have always been the leading candidates, though each has his own hurdle to overcome to land the job.

Zemeckis’ first order of business is his untitled Universal film starring Steve Carell, which Zemeckis plans to shoot in August (and will not budge on the production date). That schedule conflict has been a factor for sometime and could be the element that causes Warner Bros. to give the gig to Vaughn, given the studio’s mandate to get “The Flash” off the ground this year.

Vaughn, however, has his own conflicts, including a third “Kingsman” movie that he would like to film following “Kingsman: the Golden Circle,” which bows this fall. While Vaughn showed interest in the directing job after meeting with execs, he may have also been using the project as leverage to get the green light from Fox on another installment in the “Kingsman” franchise.

“The Flash” has been on hold since losing director Rick Famuyiwa. With Ezra Miller, who will play the speedy superhero, busy getting ready to shoot “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2,” the studio decided to work on a new script in the meantime and take their time in finding Famuyiwa’s replacement.

Joby Harold was brought on to do a page-one rewrite and has since turned in a draft.